Vietnam Flood Crisis: Death Toll Hits 90 Amid Ongoing Search for Missing

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The death toll from major flooding in Vietnam has reached 90, with 12 people still missing after days of heavy rain and landslides.

Relentless rain has lashed south-central Vietnam since late October and popular holiday destinations have been hit by several rounds of flooding.

Whole sections of coastal Nha Trang city were inundated last week, while deadly landslides struck highland passes around the Da Lat tourist hub.

In the hard-hit mountainous province of Dak Lak, 61-year-old farmer Mach Van Si said the floodwaters left him and his wife stranded on their sheet-metal rooftop for two nights.

“Our neighborhood was completely destroyed. Nothing was left. Everything was covered in mud,” a resident reported on Sunday.

A Vietnamese man carrying a cat through flood waters

Vietnam has been severely impacted by natural disasters this year, with 279 individuals either dead or missing from January to October. The financial toll of these calamities has exceeded $2 billion. Source: EPA / Stringer

Recalling a moment of crisis, Si mentioned that by the time they climbed up to their roof using a ladder, fear had subsided.

According to the ministry, four communes in Dak Lak remained submerged under water as of Sunday.

Authorities have used helicopters to airdrop aid to communities cut off by flooding and landslides, with the government deploying tens of thousands of personnel to deliver clothing, water-purification tablets, instant noodles and other supplies to affected areas, state outlet Tuoi Tre News said.

Severe flooding in southern coastal Khanh Hoa province washed away two suspension bridges last week, leaving many households isolated, the outlet said, citing officials.

In the past week, over 80,000 hectares of rice and other crops across Dak Lak and four adjoining provinces have suffered damage. Additionally, more than 3.2 million livestock and poultry have perished or been swept away by the floods.

More than 129,000 customers remained without electricity, after more than a million were without power last week.

The environment ministry on Sunday estimated economic losses of US$343 million ($577 million) across five provinces due to the floods.

Natural disasters have left 279 people dead or missing in Vietnam and caused more than US$2 billion ($3 billion) in damage between January and October, according to the national statistics office.